I've been riding motorcycles my entire life, so I claim an exemption. I used to commute to work every day in SoCal traffic for almost 15 years. Now that I'm retired out in the forest I mostly worry about deer.
You're both very lucky. My husband has a severe tbi from a motorcycle crash. You don't want that shit no matter your age. He's extremely high functioning but it still ruined so much of his life. Our life. We make the best of it.
Sorry to hear thats terrible, my uncle hit a deer coming around a bend maybe a decade or so ago, he got fucked up an was in a coma for a few days but he's probably 99 percent back to normal, im sure theres complications but private things he doesnt share im guessing. It's really just fucking luck when you dump a bike, I've dumped a few dirt bikes at a low speed an that fucked me up so I know its rough.
Yes, to the naked eye, my husband seems back to normal. People have known us for years without even suspecting it. But he's not normal. And he's also incredibly lucky. His grandparents have an absurd amount of money and made sure no stone was left unturned for his recovery. Even now they help us financially so we can live a very comfortable lifestyle. There are many things that become incredibly expensive and complicated once you enter the TBI world. We're also lucky because he's incredibly intelligent and had a good engineering job at a large aerospace company. He's now switching to the software field which is even better paying and has more opportunities to work from home. He has epilepsy and many other issues that make driving more than a few minutes to work a huge problem.
Most people with TBI are not nearly as lucky and as well supported as we are. If people knew what I know about TBI, they probably wouldn't risk a motorcycle. It's not just your own life you're risking. You're committing your children and spouses to that life, too.
Some women I know have coped by having a funeral for the man that is gone. Because no matter how lucky you are, there is no going back to the person you used to be.
I've been retired for about seven years now and I retired early so I'm still young enough to feel confident in my riding abilities. I don't ride nearly as much now as I did when I was commuting though. Mostly short cruises into town or some twisty rides on the many two lane roads that wind through the forest here. I have a BMW R1150GS so I will explore some of the unpaved logging roads too. I've always managed to keep the rubber side down as well, and so far have avoided t-boning Bambi.
Be careful on those fire roads when you get into the marbles. Even with a very low center of gravity it's easy for a wheel to come out from under you when traction is limited.
Back when I was commuting, I also had a dirt bike and I was lucky enough that I could just push open my front gate, kick the thing and go riding for hours. I'm convinced that hours of off road riding greatly improved my street skills and reactions.
I've already experienced a tick nightmare here. I went out hiking and on the way back someone had set up their camp right next to the trail, so to avoid walking up on them I took a little detour through a flooded area with low overhanging branches. When I got back to my car I noticed a tick on my pant leg and brushed it off. When I got into my car I noticed another tick and brushed it off outside as well. As I'm driving I keep noticing more tick appearing on me, so I keep picking them off and tossing them out the window. I then feel something crawling on the back of my neck and decide to pull over in town to use a restroom to remove any other ticks. When I got into the restroom I took off my shirt and it was covered with ticks. I then pulled as many of them off of me as I could find, got them all off my shirt, and hightailed it home, still finding more ticks on the way. When I got home I stripped off all my clothes outside and spend the next couple of hours removing ticks from myself and my clothes. I must have had at least 50 ticks on me. Fortunately only a few had started to burrow in before I removed them.
It really was a nightmare. I’ve never experienced anything like it before or since and I spend a lot of time in the woods. Needless to say I avoid swampy spots like that that with overhanging branches now, especially in that particular area. It makes for a good story, but I don’t ever want to experience it again. Fortunately my wife was out of town when it happened because she would have freaked out seeing all those ticks.
Yeah, deer are completely unpredictable so you can't really do much to avoid a collision other than slow down. My area has an abnormally high population of deer because people feed them. Fortunately they usually stay off the roads, but there are several hit here every year. My only close call was while I was driving my car and a young buck started to cross right in front of me. I was able to nail the brakes and slow down just enough to allow him to cross in front of me and avoid the collision.
I've been riding motorcycles my entire life, so I claim an exemption. I used to commute to work every day in SoCal traffic for almost 15 years. Now that I'm retired out in the forest I mostly worry about deer.
Same here, fellow Calif Pede.
I commuted on a bike for years, doing a 140 mile round trip ride every day.
No asphalt surfing despite So Cal drivers trying to kill me every chance they got.
I'm not quite retired but getting ready to, don't know if I'll keep riding in my very old age.
Good on you for surviving all those years on a bike in So Cal traffic. Be safe out there, a deer can seriously ruin your day.
You're both very lucky. My husband has a severe tbi from a motorcycle crash. You don't want that shit no matter your age. He's extremely high functioning but it still ruined so much of his life. Our life. We make the best of it.
Sorry about your husband.
Sorry to hear about your husband's injury.
Riding is definitely much more dangerous than driving a car but for me it's one of the best forms of mental therapy.
I wish you, your husband and you family the best of luck.
Sorry to hear thats terrible, my uncle hit a deer coming around a bend maybe a decade or so ago, he got fucked up an was in a coma for a few days but he's probably 99 percent back to normal, im sure theres complications but private things he doesnt share im guessing. It's really just fucking luck when you dump a bike, I've dumped a few dirt bikes at a low speed an that fucked me up so I know its rough.
Yes, to the naked eye, my husband seems back to normal. People have known us for years without even suspecting it. But he's not normal. And he's also incredibly lucky. His grandparents have an absurd amount of money and made sure no stone was left unturned for his recovery. Even now they help us financially so we can live a very comfortable lifestyle. There are many things that become incredibly expensive and complicated once you enter the TBI world. We're also lucky because he's incredibly intelligent and had a good engineering job at a large aerospace company. He's now switching to the software field which is even better paying and has more opportunities to work from home. He has epilepsy and many other issues that make driving more than a few minutes to work a huge problem.
Most people with TBI are not nearly as lucky and as well supported as we are. If people knew what I know about TBI, they probably wouldn't risk a motorcycle. It's not just your own life you're risking. You're committing your children and spouses to that life, too.
Some women I know have coped by having a funeral for the man that is gone. Because no matter how lucky you are, there is no going back to the person you used to be.
TBI might be one of the worst things. Its like CTE except you didnt get paid a professional athlete salary to compensate for it.
I've been retired for about seven years now and I retired early so I'm still young enough to feel confident in my riding abilities. I don't ride nearly as much now as I did when I was commuting though. Mostly short cruises into town or some twisty rides on the many two lane roads that wind through the forest here. I have a BMW R1150GS so I will explore some of the unpaved logging roads too. I've always managed to keep the rubber side down as well, and so far have avoided t-boning Bambi.
You've got a very capable but heavy bike.
Be careful on those fire roads when you get into the marbles. Even with a very low center of gravity it's easy for a wheel to come out from under you when traction is limited.
Back when I was commuting, I also had a dirt bike and I was lucky enough that I could just push open my front gate, kick the thing and go riding for hours. I'm convinced that hours of off road riding greatly improved my street skills and reactions.
Have fun out there and keep the shiny side up!
I've already experienced a tick nightmare here. I went out hiking and on the way back someone had set up their camp right next to the trail, so to avoid walking up on them I took a little detour through a flooded area with low overhanging branches. When I got back to my car I noticed a tick on my pant leg and brushed it off. When I got into my car I noticed another tick and brushed it off outside as well. As I'm driving I keep noticing more tick appearing on me, so I keep picking them off and tossing them out the window. I then feel something crawling on the back of my neck and decide to pull over in town to use a restroom to remove any other ticks. When I got into the restroom I took off my shirt and it was covered with ticks. I then pulled as many of them off of me as I could find, got them all off my shirt, and hightailed it home, still finding more ticks on the way. When I got home I stripped off all my clothes outside and spend the next couple of hours removing ticks from myself and my clothes. I must have had at least 50 ticks on me. Fortunately only a few had started to burrow in before I removed them.
It really was a nightmare. I’ve never experienced anything like it before or since and I spend a lot of time in the woods. Needless to say I avoid swampy spots like that that with overhanging branches now, especially in that particular area. It makes for a good story, but I don’t ever want to experience it again. Fortunately my wife was out of town when it happened because she would have freaked out seeing all those ticks.
That's a real worry. A friend of mine finally sold his bike after hitting two muledeer within a couple of weeks, out here in the high desert.
Yeah, deer are completely unpredictable so you can't really do much to avoid a collision other than slow down. My area has an abnormally high population of deer because people feed them. Fortunately they usually stay off the roads, but there are several hit here every year. My only close call was while I was driving my car and a young buck started to cross right in front of me. I was able to nail the brakes and slow down just enough to allow him to cross in front of me and avoid the collision.